Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-10-20

on a rosy cloud.
She wore no jewels, but on her neck,
arm. and knee were the usual torques of
gold, in this instance fashioned like a
snake; and her dress was of pure white
linen, of excessive fineneSs, plentifully en-
broidered with gold and with the familiar
symbols of the sun.
Her twin sister, Sorais, was of different
and darker type of beauty. Her hair was
wavy, like Nyleptha's, but coal-blaclS, and
fell in masses on her shoulders; her COM
plexion was olive, her eyes large, dark, and
lustrous; the lips were full, and thought
rather cruel. Somehow her face, quiet
and even cold as it was, gave an idea of
passion in repose, and caused one to won
der involuntarily what its aspect would be
if anything occurred to break the calm 1t
reminded me of the deep sea, that even OF
the bluest days never loses its Visible stamp
of power and in its murmuring sleep is
vet instinct with the spirit of the storm.
Her figure like her sisters, was almost
perfect in its curves and outlines, but a
trif1e more rounded, and her dress was alb
solutely the same.
AS this lovely pair swept onward to their
respective thrones, amid the deep attentive
silence OF the Court, was bound TO con-
fess to myself that they did indeed fulfill
my idea of royalty. Royal they were in
every way-in form, in grace, in queenly
dignity, and in the barbaric splendor of
their attendant pomP. But methought
that they needed no guards or gold to pro-
claim their pow and bind the loyalty of
Maynard men. \ glance from those bright
eyes, or a smile from those sweet lips, and
while the red blood runs in the veins of
youth women such as these will never lack
for subjects ready to do their biddings to
the DEATH
But, after all, they were women first and
queens afterward, and therefore not de-
void of curiosity. AS they passed to their
seats, l saw both of them glance swiftly in
our direction. / saw, too, that their eyes
passed by me, seeing nothing to charm
| them in the person of an insignificant and
grizzled old man. Then they looked with
evident astonishment on the grim form of
| old Umslopogaas, who raised his AK in
salutation. Attracted next by the splen-
dor of Goods apparel for a second their
glance rested on him like humming -moth
upon a flower; then off it darted to where
Sir Henry Curtis stood, the sunlight from
window playing upon his yellow hair
and peaked beard, and marking out the
outlines of his massive frame against the
! twilight of the somewhat gloomy hall. He
raised his eyes, and they met the fair Ny
| leptha's full; and thus for the first time
| the goodliest man and woman that it has
| ever been my lot to see, looked one upon
another. And why it was I knew not, but
| [ saw the swift blood run up beneath Ny
| leptha's skin as the pink lights run up the
morning sky. Red grew her fair bosom
| Io,l,o II,
the rounded cheeks blushed red as the
petals of q rose, and then the crimson flood
sank back to whence it came and left her
pale and trembling.
I glanced at Sir Henry. He, too, had
colored up to the eyes.
ooh, my word!' thought [ to myself
''the ladies have come on the stage, and
now we may look to the plot to develop it
! SELF And 1 sighed and shook my head,
| knowing that the beauty of woman is
like the beauty of the ightning--a de-
structive thing and a cause of desolation.
| BY the time that I had finished my refec-
| tions, both the queens were on the thrones;
| for all this had happened in about four
seconds Once more the unseen trUmpets
hlared out, and then the Court seated it.
self, and Queen Sorais motioned to us to
| do likewise.
Next, from among the crowd whittier he
had withdrawn, stepped forward our guide,
| the old gentleman who had towed us
ashore. holding by the hand the girl whom
| we had seen first and afterward rescued
from the hippopotamus Having made
obeisance, he proceeded to address the
queens evidently describing to them the
way and place where we had been found.
| tn q
| ishment. not unmiXed with fear, reflected
| found floating on ii, anG were inclined to
| attribute our presence to supernatural
| causes Then the narrative proceeded, as
| I Judged from the frequent appeals that
our guide made to the girl, to the point
where we had shot the hippopotami, and
we at once perceived that there was some
| thing very wrong about those hippopotami;
for the history was frequently interrupted
by indignant EXPLANATIONS from the little
group OK white-robed priests, and even
| from the courtiers, while the two queens
listened with an amazed expression, espec-
| tally when our guide pointed to the ritici
| IN our hand as being the means of destruc-
| ton. And here, to make matters clear, l
may as well explain at once that the in
| habitants of Zu-vendiS are worShiperS,
| and that for some reason or other the hip
pOpotamus is sacred animal among them.
| Not that they do not kill it, because as
| certain seasons of the year they slaughter
thousands-which are specially preserved
in large lakes up the country-and use
their hides for armor for soldiers; but this
does not prevent them from considering
! these animals as sacred to the sun. Now,
| as i'll luck would have it, the particular
| hippopotami we had shot were family of
| tame animals that were kept at the mouth
of the port and daily fed by priests whose
| special duty 1t was to attend to them.
| When we shot them, I thought that the
brutes were suspiciously tame, and this
was, as we afterward ascertained, the cause
of it, Thus it came about that in attempt
| ing to show off we had committed sacri-
lege of q most aggravated nature.
When our guide had finished his tale,
the old man with the long beard and round
cap. whose appearance have already de
| scribed. and who was, as [ have said the
High Priest, of the country, and known by
the nan,c of Agon, rose and commenced
81, frnpassioned harangue. did not like
I the look of his cold gray eye as he fixed it
\ TcI :! L c+i haI